Did Elon Musk Just Drop a Big Hint About a Possible SpaceX-Tesla Merger?

Elon Musk runs multiple companies, and given how interconnected their operations are, there is a glaring advantage in combining their efforts to realize synergies. Earlier this year, Musk merged xAI, which owns social media site X and the Grok chatbot, with his rocket company, Space Exploration Technologies Corp (NASDAQ:SPCX), better known as just SpaceX.

There may be an even bigger merger that lies ahead, however, including SpaceX and Musk's electric vehicle company, Tesla (NASDAQ:TSLA). And in a recent interview, he may have dropped a hint about that possibility.

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Why a SpaceX-Tesla merger may be inevitable

Collaboration between Musk's companies is not uncommon, which is why questions often arise about whether all his companies will merge. Having all resources and personnel under one single entity could drastically simplify things, and there would be less worry from investors about Musk dividing his time and whether he's allocating enough of it to each of his companies.

In a recent interview with the All In Podcast, the question of a SpaceX-Tesla merger came up. While Musk didn't give a definitive answer, he did point back to the issue of collaboration, hinting at what the companies could achieve together. "With all this collaboration on so many levels, imagine what action one might take when there's so much close collaboration in so many areas."

That doesn't exactly suggest that a merger is coming soon, but most importantly, Musk didn't rule it out. Popular analyst Dan Ives previously predicted that a merger between the two companies could happen as early as next year.

A merger may not necessarily generate huge returns for investors

A merger could be great news for Tesla and SpaceX shareholders, as a combined entity could unlock significantly more growth potential. Plus, a massive company of that scale may be able to trade at a higher premium and attract more growth investors. But as highly probable as a merger is, it isn't a guarantee, and it could take longer than expected.

Today, the two stocks have combined valuations of around $3.5 trillion. Neither one is cheap. SpaceX, the more valuable company, remains unprofitable, and Tesla trades at around 340 times its trailing earnings. High growth is already priced into both of these stocks, making them risky and volatile options.

Investors should tread carefully because while a merger might seem exciting if it were to happen, it wouldn't necessarily lead to significant returns for either of these stocks, given how expensive they already are.

David Jagielski, CPA has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends Tesla. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.